From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” —John 6:66-69
Right after Jesus fed the five thousand, he gave them a tough teaching and some of the followers packed up and left. So much for the power of miracles, which throughout the Scriptures have a pretty short shelf-life for persuading people who don’t really believe. I like the way Jesus calls the question, and especially the way Peter replies. This is a nice, practical definition of faith in Jesus: we have no place else to go. At this point, Peter and the rest of the Twelve are coming to understand that being with Jesus is confusing, controversial, challenging and even dangerous. But they will take that over being clear, popular, comfortable and safe, because of what Jesus has for them — “the words of eternal life” — and who he is — “the Holy One of God.” Are you over this hump yet? Is there any price too high for you to pay to remain with Jesus? Faith is deciding that no matter how hard it is, following Jesus is abundantly worth it. At this point, where else you gonna go?
Lord if I am honest, I realize I often make the decision to no longer follow you during the day, because it costs me too much. But what you say and who you are should mean more than whole world to me. I want to stick with you through thick and thin today. Amen.
One Comment on “Praying to not leave”
There is something grounding and quietly confronting in this reflection, the way it strips faith down to a single, honest question of where else we could possibly go. It reminds me that following God is not always comfortable or easy, but it is deeply worth it, even when it challenges everything in us. I appreciate how it does not pretend that belief removes struggle, but instead shows that true faith chooses to stay, even when others walk away. It speaks to that moment when conviction becomes personal, when we realize that what He offers carries more weight than comfort or certainty. It draws out a sincere prayer, a desire to remain steadfast despite weakness, holding onto the truth that there is life in Him that cannot be found anywhere else .